Gaze following emergence relies on both perceptual cues and social awareness

Decades of research have emphasized the significance of gaze following in early development. Yet, the developmental origin of this ability has remained poorly understood. We tested the claims made by two prominent theoretical perspectives to answer whether infants gaze following response is based on perceptual (motion of the head) or social cues (gaze direction). We found that 12-month-olds (N = 30) are able to inhibit motion cues and exclusively follow the direction of others’ gaze. Six- (N = 29) and 4-month-olds (N = 30) can follow gaze, with a sensitivity to both perceptual and social cues. These results align with the perceptual narrowing hypothesis of gaze following emergence, suggesting that social and perceptual cueing are non-exclusive paths to early developing gaze following.